How long do you leave lures rotating?

[Mr.Stone]

Good evening everyone:)

Ive just clear coated my first two lures with a pour on similar to etex, now my question to you is : How long do you leave lures rotating on a rotating drying rack? Not sure of the correct terminology used for the name of a rotating drying rack?

The lures have their first coat on and I would likely apply another coat tomorrow morning.

The left over clear coat has a consistency of toffee more or less.

 

[BobP]

You can apply another coat anytime after the first coat is sag free, 4-6 hours in most cases.  Or you can wait 1-3 days after it has cured hard.  Pour-on epoxies contain a solvent  that evaporates while the epoxy cures.  Your leftover epoxy may take a little longer to harden initially because it is thicker and takes more time for the solvent to evaporate than the thinner coating on the bait.  But in any case, the epoxy should be cured hard in 24 hours.  If it isn’t, something went wrong and another coat is needed to harden all the epoxy coats.   

Edited May 16, 2018 by BobP

[Mr.Stone]

Thank you for the advice BobP.

The epoxy in the cup is quite solid this morning, just waiting for the weather to warm up a little before I apply a second coat. Lures look good, there are some spots here and there that seem like small peaks or possibly trapped dust or something.

My initial concern was that the motor im using would possibly burn out as this was the longest time it has been running for and did get warm, so I wasn't keen to leave it running overnight but also didn't want to get sag from the clear. I did switch it off after the lures had been rotating for 8 hours.

I really need to make a jig or some sort of machine that would slap me on the head every time I fiddle with the clear coat while applying it. Things would look great, then I see something and fiddle with it and make it worse then I try to fix that and it just goes on and on.

 

 

 

[BobP]

You can sand down  “owies” before applying other coats if you wait until it has fully hardened.  Wipe it down with alcohol to remove the dust.  If you get a fisheye where the epoxy cured away from an oil spot, another coat will often  fix it.  Best not to handle a lure with ungloved fingers while applying finish for that reason.  The Pour-on epoxy’s solvent make them more prone to fisheyes than glue type epoxies.  After doing a few lures you’ll develop a routine that works for you and you’ll  gain confidence.  But yeah, there’s always gonna be that little niggling worry about the end result when using epoxy.

[jonister]

Always remember to use the slow cures in a dust free environment. They take so long to cure that when dust settles on them it can get into the epoxy if the bait is not cured. A clear plastic tote flipped upside down has worked for me.

[Kris]

I've never used etex before so I don't have any experience on how long to leave them on the drying wheel.  I use Devcon 2 epoxy (going to try Bob Smith epoxy next) and usually leave my baits on the drying wheel between 4-5 hours.  I than turn the drying wheel off and leave them on the wheel overnight to continue to fully harden overnight.  

[socal cranker]

I put them on the wheel before bed and turn it off when I get home from work the next day.

 

[Mr.Stone]

Thank you all for the advice.

Jonister,  I was considering a tote before yes, to get one that is semi clear and big enough is around 45 dollars here, but ill look around or build something to cover the lures while they are drying.

I try my best to not touch the lures before I apply expoxy, I would mount them on the drying rack and then apply the epoxy while they are on there, gloves would definitely help though.

The time I leave the lures rotating was now 8 hrs per coat, but ill try to make the first coat time a bit shorter.

The lures look good, they should be fully cured now, just not sure whether I should mount them on the wall or fish them There is a lot of room for improvement especially with my airbrushing skills! I just need to make some different coloured eyes for the lures I want to do next week so that would be another couple of days of waiting before I can begin painting again but its well worth it.